The Annexation of Texas and Its Roots
Mexico was colonized by Spain and managed to gain its independence in 1821. When Mexico gained its independence from Spain, three states, California, Texas, and New Mexico, which are now part of the United States, belonged to Mexico’s northern provinces (Saied, 2022). The province of Texas was sparsely populated by the time Mexico founded it. The annexation of Texas began, and by 1845, Texas became part of the United States as the 28th state (Bell, 2019). The annexation of Texas caused the American-Mexican War, where the Mexicans ultimately saw it as they were protecting their land from the United States’ invasion.
The habitation of Texas began early after independence from Spain, when the Texans recruited people from the United States to aid the region’s growth. Stephen Austin sold most of his lands to the Americans, attracting more Americans to buy land in Texas (Saied, 2022). More Americans had occupied Texas by 1830, an amount which could be approximated to over 7,000 settlers (Saied, 2022). However, Texas did not want to align with the government of Mexico.
Consequently, the Mexican government responded by attempting to stop further settlement and immigration, whereas the Texans responded by rebellion, aligning more with the United States (Bell, 2019). The regulatory laws put in place by the Mexican government demanded total assimilation of people who moved into Texas. They were to become Mexicans, file formal documents, and convert to Catholicism.
Tensions Over Borders and Rising Conflict
According to the Mexicans, the annexation of Texas violated the border treaty of 1828, which had initially given the Mexican government sovereignty over Texas. The Mexicans viewed the annexation as unacceptable for security and legal reasons (Van & Trang, 2021). The beginning of the conflict, in part, can be traced to the disagreement between the US and the Mexican government over which river formed the actual border at the northern provinces of Mexico: the Rio Grande or the Nueces
Santa Anna was influenced to agree that the border was at the Rio Grande. Mexico, however, had a different stance regarding which river was which as far as the border issue was concerned (Bell, 2019). As the Nueces River, further north, was where the Mexican government claimed the boundary began, they could not cave to Santa Anna’s demands without being legally bound by his pledges.
In the Mexican government’s eyes, setting the border at the Rio Grande implied that the United States could control more land that was not in its possession. The Mexicans thought they were justified in going to war to prevent further American invasion. In 1846, President Polk agitated the Mexicans and violated the sovereign territory treaty when he agreed that the United States army should get involved in the border and land dispute.
Similarly, Texas joined the United States a year before President Polk’s declaration regarding the border issue (Volanto & Preuss, 2019). Their government was adamant that the United States only had sovereignty over the northeast parts of the Nueces River. Therefore, if they had not stopped this encroachment into their land, it could have opened doors for further attacks on their land by the United States government.
The Outcome of the Mexican-American War
The war ended in 1848 when the Guadalupe-Hidalgo treaty was signed. The United States emerged victorious, and almost half of Mexico’s lands went to the United States. The Mexican Cession saw the occupation of Mexican lands as far as the west of the Rio Grande, including the current states of New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and portions of Wyoming and Colorado (Bell, 2019).
Mexico was forced to acknowledge the Rio Grande as the northern border, and the ceded territories were promised to the Americans who wished to live there. The Americans assumed Mexico’s $3.35 million worth of debts to make it a fair deal and a win-win situation (Volanto & Preuss, 2019). Additionally, Mexico was compensated $15 million in exchange for its lands (Harrigan, 2019). Similarly, the United States would provide the security needed in the area from the imminent Indian raids.
References
Bell, J. P. (2019). Municipal annexation reform in Texas: How a victory for property rights jeopardizes the state’s financial health. Mary’s LJ, 50(2), 711. Web.
Harrigan, S. (2019). Big wonderful thing: A history of Texas. The University of Texas Press.
Saied, S. (2022). The annexation of Texas, California, and New Mexico to the United States, 1845-1848. Journal of Education Studies and Humanities, 14(2), 19-78. Web.
Van Sang, N., & Trang, L. (2021). Independent or annexation: The Texas issue in the British-American relations (1836-1846). Web.
Volanto, K. J., & Preuss, G. B. (2019). When was the Republic of Texas no more?The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, 123(1), 30-59. Web.